Darkness Awaits
by Kaoruke
Summary: AU. Full Summary Inside Her friends told her to stay away from him, or she would get hurt. But Maka was never one to agree with the latter.
1. Bearings and Beginnings

**Disclaimer: I do not own Soul Eater.**

**Rated: T. For obvious reasons.**

**Warnings: AU and OOC.**

**Pairings: Kid x Maka, Soul x Liz, Crona x Patty, Tsubaki x Black Star**

**Summary: Maka Albarn is just a normal girl who was sent to an insane asylum because she was framed for a crime she never committed. However, she seems to be drawn to a strange yet nice boy at the asylum. Her newly made friends warn her to stay away, or she would get hurt, but of course, Maka was never one to agree with the latter.**

**Notes: I used a LOT of Soul Eater jokes and references to small things in here. Kudos if you notice them.**

* * *

It was wrong, wrong, so very wrong.

The brunette was sweating bullets, nervous, scared, and angry all at the same time. Through the tinted windows of her car, she could see the building come into view. She could see her Hell-On-Earth coming.

And she still needed to know why.

"How long will I need to stay here?" Maka asked, looking at her father apprehensively.

Her father, nicknamed "Spirit" by his colleagues and friends, ran a nervous hand through his crimson hair. For once, his eyes weren't filled with happiness or carefree bliss. They seemed tired, worried, and pitiful for his daughter.

"I don't know, Maka. Until we can get you out of this mess. An old friend of mine offered to help me to help you. Hopefully, with the two of us at work, we can clear your name and your time spent here will be short."

Maka nodded with faked confidence. Despite her father's words, she couldn't shake that empty feeling that ate away at the pit of her stomach.

Minutes seemed to turn into seconds. Soon, the car's engine came into a halt. Maka felt like she was going to throw up.

"Here we are," Spirit said gloomily, and looked back at her daughter, "let's get this over with."

The girl nodded, and monotonously opened the door. Stepping out of the car, she directed her attention to the hideous structure that lay in front of her.

The words _Shibusen Mental Institution _were printed in large, red letters at the top of the building. The building itself was a large cylinder, and Maka looked to see smaller, cylindrical buildings connected to the main one. They were all made of stone, and looked like midevil dungeons in a way.

And what scared Maka more was the fact that there wasn't any grass. No trees, no flowers, just concrete and stone. The sky, which she thought as blue, seemed to be a stifling gray color, and it bothered her greatly. Even the sun seemed dim.

"I hate it already," Maka agonized, burying her face in her hands, "I shouldn't be here! I didn't do anything!" Spirit put a comforting hand on her daughter's back. The two soon shed tears together.

"Be strong, Maka," Spirit whispered hoarsely, "you won't be here for long. I'll get you out before you know it."

The brunette just nodded, wiping tears from her eyes with her sleeves.

"Remember what I told you. Don't talk to anyone ; they're ALL insane, if they're here. And stay away from the adults, and avoid boys. They'll probably want to rape you on the spot," Maka flinched at her father's truths.

"I won't forget," she muttered.

"Ok good," Spirit looked around, "someone's coming this way. I think it's the owner of the damned place. Keep your head up, wipe your tears. You can't show weakness," he noted.

The two Albarns nodded as they toughened theirselves up, and faced the new figure.

"Hello, you must be Maya Albarn," he said. "He" was a man with silver hair, stitches along his face, but the feature that stood out the most, the screw coming out of his head.

Maka cringed slightly before answering. "It's _Maka _Albarn." she corrected.

A smirk came from this seemingly mad man. "Of course, my apologies. And ah, you must be Mr. Albarn, Mr. Rasche Albarn, I believe?"

Spirit twitched. No one had ever called him by his real name. "Actually, I prefer if you call me 'Spirit'," he stated angrily.

"Again, my apologies, Spirit," the man hissed the word out like poison, "I'm Professor Stein. I own this," a smile, "_lovely _establishment. And I understand that young Mara-"

"Maka," the said girl corrected again, but Stein didn't make note of this,

"will be staying here until a certain problem will be solved."

"There's no need to be so beat-around-the-bushy around it," Spirit snapped, "my daughter is here because she is being accused of a crime she _didn't _commit, and once I sort out this madness, you can expect never to see her here again."

Professor Stein smiled, his glasses' lens glinting. "Interesting, I'm glad to have a firmer ground of the situation." He looked at Maka, "Well, let's get going. Time to show you around the place," and he looked at Spirit, "and you can leave now. As the legal documents say, only Masa-

"MAKA," the girl repeated,

"-is to be confined within these grounds. And I'm afraid visiting hours are only during the weekends," a sickening smile lit up Stein's face, "shame that it's a Monday, isn't it?"

Spirit growled, his face heating up to the same color of his hair. "It is a shame, well. Goodbye, Stein." he looked at his daughter. "Maka, I love you, remember that." and against his will, he trudged back to the car.

Maka felt her whole body stiffen as she watched her father drive away. The car was like a blur, it went away too fast. It already seemed like hours now that she was away from the one person she found comfort in.

"Well, Mika, is it? Let's make haste, I have things to dissect," and the brunette irritably followed the mad man to his mad house.

* * *

Maka was wrong when she said she hated Shibusen Mental Institution.

She didn't hold as much hate as she did disgust.

As soon as she entered the asylum, she knew she was in for trouble. Her green eyes widened. The first thing she saw when entering was cells. Millions of cells, with bars. Cells lined up in a circular fashion to match the cylindrical building. And she underestimated the height of the building. Looking up, she saw rows and columns of cells. She could barely make out the ceiling.

"Don't worry, this isn't where you're going to be staying," Stein cut in, sensing her tension.

But Maka didn't relax. What did that mean? That Stein was going to put her somewhere worse than a cell?

"These lovely accommodations are only for those who have _trully _gone insane," more smiling. How much could one person smile?

"But- practically _every _cell is full!" Maka speculated. It was true. The lighting wasn't too dim or too bright, but her eyes easily spotted shadows and figures lingering in each cell in sight.

"Yes, I do suppose you're right. Hopefully, these . . . _guests _will show you what happens if you screw up." Stein kept walking, hands in his lab coat, "and as I was saying before, this isn't where you'll be staying. The regular patients stay in more . . . domestic conditions."

The brunette certainly hoped so. As she walked along the cells, she cringed at each person in it.

A wild girl with wild eyes, gnawing on a meat bone, growled and slashed at the bars. "FOOD!" she yelled, eyeing Maka crazily.

Maka did the normal thing and screamed. Stein turned around, and seemed to frown somewhat.

"Oh, that's Kim Diehl. A recent addition to the cells. She used to be such a nice girl, and she used to stay in the nicer areas," he stroked the bars that restrained the wild Kim, "but she started cracking down. I believe she thought that she was a tanuki, and started acting like one. She almost ate another person," he laughed, as if that was something funny to laugh at.

Maka's foresty irises widened, and she took another look at Kim. To think, before coming here, this girl had a whole future ahead of her. Now all that lay in her path was destruction.

"I hope you don't end up like her," Stein commented, adjusting his screw again.

"Of course I won't! Weren't you listening to what my father said before? I'm only here because I've been framed," Maka put her hands on her hips, "I have no intention of being here for real,"

The silver-haired man remained neutral. "Oh, you seem so sure on that. Well I wouldn't be too sure if I were you, nothing's impossible."

Maka certainly hoped that a few things were.

* * *

Within the next two hours, Maka had seen the whole area. There were eight other cylindrical buildings, all smaller than the cell building. One of them, the one farthest away, Maka discovered were the living quarters for regular asylum patients.

The one right next to the cell building was the infirmary, nurse wing, and rooms for medical and psycological reasons.

The one next to that was the Cafeteria. There was three levels, and it was the shortest building. Maka worried about eating with the nut cases in cells, but Stein told her that they ate in the basement under the cafeteria.

Cylinder building number 4 was Stein's office. No one could go there unless you were summoned.

Building 5 were the classrooms for patients under 21, and assessment rooms for people over 22. Maka didn't bother asking what assessment rooms were used for, considering she didn't plan to stay that long.

Building 6 wasn't important to patients, as it was the storage building for the other buildings. No one is allowed in there that isn't staff.

And Building 7 were staff rooms. Patients weren't allowed there, either.

"And that concludes the tour," Stein announces. Suddenly, a large sound, resembling a bell, rang. Maka jumped.

"And just in time, too," Stein said coolly, "it's lunch. You remember which building the cafeteria is in, right?"

"3," Maka replied.

The doctor smiled, and ruffled Maka's hair. She stiffened up, showing obvious signs that she still distrusts the man. "Oh, get over it," he laughed, "you know you're staying at least a good few months, so it's useless to keep that 'Big girl' act up that whole time," he teased.

"It's not an act," she lied, "and don't act as if you know me. I just met you a few hours ago," and with those words, Maka trudged off to Building 3.

And that's where the real action starts.


	2. Friends Found in Stories

**Disclaimer: I do not own Soul Eater.**

**Rated: T for Teen. **

**Pairings: Kid x Maka, Soul x Liz, Crona x Patty, Black Star x Tsubaki**

**Warnings: AU and OOC. And a bunch of random crap that doesn't make sense.**

**Notes: A few Soul Eater jokes in here . . . spot them and you get a cookie.**

* * *

Maka gulped, staring at the double doors that seperated her from the cafeteria. Stein didn't tell her how long lunch lasted. It could end in a few seconds, for all she knows. But a gut-wrenching feeling ate at her. What if she got mugged when she stepped in? Or raped? What if the food was poisoned?

"I guess I have no choice . . . I am hungry," she patted her tummy, which growled angrily in response. A sigh escaped her lips. "Here goes nothing," and she turned the handles, and pushed the doors in.

Walking through, her eyes widened at the sight. Three levels of cafeteria. The ceilings were see-through, so she could see people on the second and third floor. And it wasn't a child's only cafeteria, either. She saw groups of middle-aged people, and even a few elderly people. Gulping, she walked further in, analyzing the metal tables and chairs. At the other end of the cafeteria, she saw the stands for food.

Maka sighed, and walked across the cafeteria to the food line. No one noticed her. Who would? There's practically a million people here!

"Good thing the line's short," she commented, taking her place at the end. It seemed like seconds when it was her turn. Taking a metal tray along with silverware, she looked at the lunch options. They weren't as bad as she first thought, but they still weren't the most appetizing thing.

"Just give me the mashed potatoes," Maka said to the lunch lady. Her only reply to the gruff order was a "hmph" and the lunch lady smacked a scoop of potatoes on Maka's plate, along with drowning it in rather gray-looking gravy. Slightly scrunching her nose, she kept moving down the line.

"There's dessert? Didn't think a place like this had those," the brunette thought as she saw DESSERT in letters on a shelf. But a closer inspection revealed it wasn't technically dessert, just a cup filled with red cubes of jello.

"Better than nothing," Maka told herself, and reached for the jello.

But her hand touched someone else's. "Oh, I didn't realize-" Maka's apology was cut off.

"-DAMN RIGHT YOU DIDN'T REALIZE! GET YOUR HANDS OFF MY JELLO!" the other person, a girl, screeched. Maka screamed in reply, backing up in fear.

Suddenly, a gasp from the same girl was heard. "Oh, I'm sorry. I lost myself again," her tone suddenly became so benevolent and sweet, like flowers. "I really am sorry,"

Maka looked up, and saw a girl who was much taller than her. She seemed taller than some of the boys. Her hair was crow's black and pulled into a sort of ponytail, and her eyes were a calm (for now) violet. Her outfit was eccentric, resembling that of some sort of ninja. "I'm sorry, my name's Tsubaki."

Tsubaki extended her hand. Maka shook it, slightly wary. "I'm Maka,"

Tsubaki smiled. "Nice to meet you, Maka. Here, you can have the jello," she put the cup on Maka's plate.

"Thanks," Maka replied. The two began to walk.

"So are you new? I've never seen you around before," Tsubaki commented.

The brunette twitched. _She makes it sound like I'm at a school, when really I'm at an asylum. Maybe that's her problem. Hallucinations?_

"Yeah, I'm new," her tone was somewhat irritated, "but you don't seem like the type of person to be in an asylum, Tsubaki."

Suddenly, the older girl became embarrassed. "Oh, I know. It's not my fault, really. I have bad anger issues. Very _bad _anger issues. I've been working to control them, because I'm afraid of becoming . . ." she shivered, "a Kishin."

The shorter girl lifted a brunette eyebrow. "Kishin?"

"It's the nickname we have for the people that have to stay in the cells," Tsubaki explained, "I don't want to be like that. So I'm trying to control my anger issues."

Maka nodded. "I see . . ."

"So what about you? What are you here for?"

Maka's sweat dropped. It wouldn't exactly be the easiest thing to explain. "It's a long story. Let's sit down first," she offered.

"Sure, do you mind if we sit with my other friends? They're not that bad, so I'm sure nothing will go wrong."

Despite Tsubaki's reassurance, Maka's throat tightened. She had to remember her father's words. "Don't talk to anyone," he said. But here she was, talking to Tsubaki like an old friend, and about to talk to how many more friends that Tsubaki has.

Before she had time to reply, they had already arrived at their destination. A metal table in the corner of the first floor of the cafeteria. There was a good amount of people there, all of them looking totally different from each other. They were talking, but once Maka and Tsubaki came, they became quiet.

_Uh-oh, _Maka's mind immediately went negative, _why are they so quiet? Are they going to do something to me?_

"Who's this, Tsubaki?" one of them asked.

She smiled. "Maka, I just met her today. She's new here," her introduction was straight and sweet.

"Welcome to Hell!" they all greeted, then bursting into laughter. Maka couldn't help but let out a few giggles, as well.

"Sit down, meet the gang," Tsubaki motioned.

The brunette huffed, and sat down next to Tsubaki in a timid, yet wary way.

"Are you guys going to introduce yourselves, or am I going to have to?" the crow-haired girl's voice was calm, but Maka could sense a stifled anger within it. She hoped they would start introducing theirselves ; she didn't want Tsubaki to get into a rage.

"Sure, alright," the first guy stood up. Maka lifted an eyebrow. He had white hair, red eyes, and the sharpest teeth she's ever seen. The first things that came to mind that he was a rapist. Or a cannibal. Was the reason he was here because he ate some poor soul? Or because he raped girls to death?

"I'm Soul. Soul Evans," he shook hands with Maka.

"Maka, like Tsubaki said," she replied sternly. "What are you in for?"

Soul's sweat dropped, and he rubbed the back of his head awkwardly. "Well, actually-"

"It's because his awesomeness is NOTHING compared to MINE!" an annoying voice yelled out. Everyone at the table groaned or shook their heads in disapproval.

"Black Star, shut the hell up!" Soul snapped. Maka looked at this 'Black Star', and immediately thought of a cartoon character. The way his hair was blue, he was short yet far too muscular, and his outfit. But the way he spoke earlier screamed 'arrogant.'

"I'm Black Star, by the way! And because I'm here, your life just got 100% better!" he cheered.

"No, it's thanks to you we're in this hell hole," Soul muttered.

"Wait, so the reason you're here is because of Black Star?" Maka lifted a sandy eyebrow.

"Yeah . . . it'd be better if I explain it," Soul said. Maka listened intently, as the rest of the group listened for the millionth time.

* * *

**ONE YEAR AGO**

The streets were empty, the only sound was the gutter dripping water from last night's rain. Suddenly, Soul emerges from the shadows of an alley, wearing dark clothing, collar up to protect him from the cold.

"Where the hell is that idiot?" he muttered, scraping his feet along the ground, "we showed up. Where is he?"

"Patience, Soul," a second voice called out. Said person turned around and saw his second companion, a red little oni he called 'Little Ogre' and 'Demon'.

"Demon, there you are. What's taking Black Star so long?" Soul muttered, leaning against a wall.

"The kid's stealing drugs from top corporations and factories," Demon pointed out, "it's not exactly going to take a minute."

"But he's never taken this long before."

"Well, he's getting the _special _stuff I recommended, right?" the red demon smiled, "it's different than the normal drugs you two get,"

Soul picked at the lint on his sleeve in anxiety. "You make it sound like _we're _the ones doing the drugs."

"You're not, you're getting them for your mother, and for Black Star's friend, Mifune, right?"

Soul bit his lip. Yes, that's why. Because Soul's mother was severely depressed, and Mifune, Black Star's friend, had tourettes, schizophrenia, and social anxiety. The disorders and ailments that hinder these two people had to be cured. Even if it meant stealing and killing.

"SOUL!" the familiar obnoxious voice of Black Star called out.

"Over here, man," Soul stepped out of the alley more, "what took you so long?"

Black Star ran over, arms filled with various drugs. "What took me so long was that you asked me to get something other than what we usually get! But since I'm so awesome, I got all this new stuff without breaking a sweat," he lay out the contents before them.

"Black Star, how nice to see you again," Demon stepped out, smiling evilly, like he always did.

"Hey, Red-Face! How ya doing?" Black Star lamely greeted, "you know, I didn't know demons like you existed a while back. I guess I'm so awesome, I bring the supernatural to reality!"

Said Demon scoffed. "As if, your arrogance almost forces me to leave this world. Now stop scanning through those drugs like candy. We have places to go, people to see,"

Soul nodded in agreement. "Yeah. Thanks a lot man," Soul pocketed the medicines for his mother, "see you tomorrow?"

"Sure thing," Black Star said, "now let's get out of here-"

But his voice was cut off by tire screeches. Police sirens resonated. Soul and Black Star clenched in fear.

"What the hell?" Soul stood up, and noticed the two were surrounded by Police Cars. "Black Star! Did you get caught?"

The bluenette's eyes widened. "No way, man! I snuck out of there like a snake!"

"That you did," the voice came from one of the cars. Stepping out of the cop car, they saw a man dressed in a suit. He held out a Ziplock bag, which had several pills in them. "But one of your capsules broke and these little pills were like a trail to follow."

Gut wrenching feelings heated up in the pits of each of the boys' stomachs. They'd never been caught before.

"So, I can understand why a couple of stupid kids would want their hands on pain killers and some ecstasy," the suited man began, "but what I don't get is why you two stole this," he showed a capsule, similar to the dozens they had collected, "you do know what this is, right?"

Soul and Black Star remained quiet.

"This drug is to put in food," he explained, "just the littlest bit could kill you by paralyzing your blood stream. It's an experiment to see if it could possibly make a new death sentence technique. Eat yourself to death, you get it? But why would you want these? Possibly to kill all of a school by slipping a few into the cafeteria foods?" he angrily spit.

"No, that's not- we would never do something like that!" Soul protested, "it wasn't even our original idea to get them, Demon told us to get it!"

"Who's Demon? Your My Little Pony doll?" the suited man joked. The other cops laughed.

"Nah, he's this red troll thing that's standing-" Black Star pointed to the spot that Demon was at, but there was nothing but air, "-the hell? Where'd he go?"

"Where did who go?"

"Demon! He's a red troll, oni thing with horns and _huge _teeth!" Black Star animated this description. Soul facepalmed.

"Are you high?" the suited man accused.

"What? NO! I don't use these drugs for myself!"

"Yeah, they're for my mom and his friend," Soul explained.

"Well, let's see what your mom and friend have to say," the suited man made a movement, and the other cops aimed their guns at the boys. "Come into the car or we'll shoot you on the spot."

And obviously, the latter didn't seem too friendly.

* * *

**(STILL ONE YEAR AGO)**

"My house is around the corner." Soul explained. The suited man made a sharp turn. "You're joking me, right?"

The white-haired boy lifted an eyebrow. "Joking? Why would I joke? Can't you see the house?"

"Listen, shit-head," the man cursed, "I don't see a house. Look out the window."

Soul did as instructed, but his mouth gaped. Where had his house gone? It was there, he knew it. The address, 41 Eater Lane, had always been his home. But instead of a house, there was nothing but the burnt remains of a chuch. And he knew that his mother and him had moved in at least five years _after _that church burned down, and a house was built over it.

"That-that can't be it," he said shakily, "that church has been taken down and a house was rebuilt! MY HOUSE was rebuilt on those grounds!"

"Sure they were," the man said, and he looked at Black Star, who was sitting next to Soul, who also had an equally shocked expression, "what's your friend's full name?"

"Mifune Miyazaki," Black Star said.

"Ok, you've got to be pulling my leg."

"What do you mean?"

He sighed. "I know who Mifune is. He was a notorious crackhead who died last year,"

Black Star's eyes widened. "Last year? That's impossible, he's still alive! Heck, I visit him practically every day!"

"Don't believe me, eh? Well, let's drive to the cemetary, you'll see."

And it was odd like that. Soul and Black Star spoke the truth about their mother and Mifune, but there was no evidence these two people existed all of a sudden. How is that possible? And where did Demon go? Why are things suddenly going all horrible?

They were about to find out. They soon pulled into the cemetary of the town, an always gloomy place. The suited man opened the cop car doors for the two teenagers, and they practically leaped out.

"As you should know, the town had the epitaphs and graves here ordered by alphabetically order. Let's go to the 'M' section."

Black Star didn't even wait for the other two. He dashed off. He was like a blue blur, and quickly scanning with his eyes, the names on all of the graves. Finally, he stopped at one. A grave that he didn't even remember being there.

_Here lies Mifune Miyazaki, aged 21 years, lived from 1990 to 2011. _

"Impossible!" Black Star yelled, "he was alive when I saw him!"

"Last year, maybe," the suited man said.

"Black Star . . ." Soul's voice was utterly disturbed.

"What?"

"Look at the one next to Mifune's." Soul sounded grave.

_Here lies Carina Mayson-Evans, a wonderful mother, who lived from 1980-2012. _

_-You're always here with us. -Soul Evans._

Soul didn't even remember his mother dying. He didn't even remember adding that sentence on the gravestone. Now it looked like he knew his mother was dead, when in reality he swore he saw her this morning.

"Soul Evans? That's your name? Well, now you have quite a bit of charges against you. Stealing, lying."

"But I didn't lie! She was alive! And Mifune was too, and where the HELL ARE YOU DEMON? What did you do?" he screamed, searching for the red ogre.

". . . you two are insane. Utterly insane. You don't need jail time, you need _help." _the suited man declared.

"Are you saying that we're crazy? I'm not! I'm awesome, if anything!" Black Star shook him.

"Just get in that car," he growled, "I'm shipping you two nut-cases to an asylum. Be grateful."

"We're not crazy!" Soul protested.

"Can it, loser. Get in the car," he pulled out a shiny gun, "before I force you."

"Hell no," Black Star took out the shuriken, "I'll _force you _to get in the damn car!" He dashed off, ninja stars in hands.

"Black Star, no-"

It was too late. The sharp bladed shuriken struck the man right in the heart. He fell over, coughing up blood, before going limp.

Now they were _really _screwed.

* * *

**PRESENT DAY**

"And that's basically what happened," Soul said, playing with his mashed potatoes. He sighed.

"That's too bad. Although I have to admit, that was pretty stupid of you Black Star," Maka commented.

"Well he was asking for it! Damn bastard!" Black Star slammed his fist on the table.

"I didn't mean the murder, although that was dumb too," Maka snapped, "I meant the pills. If they didn't spill and leave a trail, you wouldn't be here."

Everyone laughed at Black Star, who slouched in his seat. "Whatever."

"Alright, enough about you two," another voice spoke. Maka analyzed the next character. She had long brown hair, and serious blue eyes. Her height was impressive, she seemed taller than or the same height as Tsubaki.

"It's our turn now~" a second voice sang. The brunette Maka turned to see a much shorter girl, who had choppy blonde hair, but yet had the same shade of blue eyes as the first girl. Maka assumed they were sisters.

"I'm Liz Thompson, and this is my sis, Patty," she motioned to Patty, who smiled like an idiot, waving.

"Nice to meet you, I suppose," Maka muttered the last two words under her breath.

"And the reason we're here is because Patty has severe multiple personality disorder, and I didn't want her to be alone here," Liz explained, a little sketchy, "Besides, the amount of homework our old school gave us practically made me go insane anyways," Maka laughed along with the others at Liz's chaste comment.

"So what are you in for~?" Patty sing-songed.

Everyone stared at Maka. She gulped before answering. So many pairs of eyes staring at her. Tsubaki's friendly purple orbs. Black Star's mischievous green irises. Soul's calm yet curious red eyes. The Thompson Sisters' amused blue expressions. All were waiting. Would she deliver?

"My reason for being here isn't as good as your guys'," she admitted, "in fact, I'm sure you'll get angry or confused."

"Hey, Maka." Soul spoke, "it's fine, whatever your reason is. We're all friends here."

She lifted an eyebrow. "You consider me a friend already? I just met you all!"

Patty suddenly became wise, proving she did have multiple personality disorder. "Of course we do. A friend of Tsubaki's is a friend of ours. And one would think good of allies in a place that's practically a warzone every day. We'll understand, trust us."

"Ok. Well it's not exactly a long story. But it's not that short, either."

Thus, the reason for everything was revealed.


	3. Stories Found in Friends

**Disclaimer: Soul Eater isn't mine. Obviously.**

**Pairings: Kid x Maka, Soul x Liz, Crona x Patty, Black Star x Tsubaki**

**Rated: T for Teen. **

**Warnings: AU and OOC. Random crap that doesn't make sense.**

**Reminders: In this story, Kishin refer to the people in the cells. You know, the super super crazy people. **

**Notes: Soul Eater jokes again. Or, I see them as jokes.**

* * *

"It was last week," Maka explained, "I just got home from school. And as soon as I turn the corner to my street, I see a bunch of cops, people, and caution tape. So I'm just sitting there, thinking 'What happened'? and I tried to get in, but the police wouldn't let me," her voice was steady, for now.

Her audience was all ears. Even Black Star.

"After a half hour, the police had the crowd clear out, and I saw my father. I ask him what happened, and he states that my mother had been . . . _murdered_," her voice had a slight rasp, and she choked on the last word. Maka tried very hard not to let tears start.

"I asked him how, and he says he didn't know. We stayed at a police station, because they were still investigating the house. When they got DNA that was on my mom from the murderer, we were all shocked," she gulped.

Although her friends had a feeling of the outcome, they still pressed for Maka to continue.

"They said that _I _killed her. Me. Traces of my fingerprints and hair were on my mother's corpse. I told them that that was impossible, I was at school! But I found out how she was murdered," her voice was very shaky.

"Maka, you don't have to continue-" Tsubaki's voice was too quiet for her friend to hear, so she was cut off.

"Apparently someone poisoned her coffee with arsenic, and her body reacted badly and she bled to death on the outside, and was venomously assaulted on the inside. They had evidence against me, because my fingerprints were on the coffee can," a tear sheds, "I drank coffee that night because I was up late studying. They pinned me down, accused me of charges."

"That's horrible," Liz gaped.

"It was," Maka agreed, a few more tears, "and it didn't stop there. There were more reports of people getting poisoned. And their family all claimed that the victim was in contact with me before getting poisoned," that was when she couldn't help it anymore. She began to cry.

"I-I didn't _do _anything . . ." she hiccuped, "I swear I didn't . . . but it was no use. I- my punishment was either life in jail, or asylum for a minumum of five years," more tears, and Tsubaki held Maka close to her, "Obviously, I picked the latter . . ."

"I'm sorry," Soul said sympathetically, and he rubbed Maka's back. The rest of the group huddled around her, comforting her and holding her.

"I-I shouldn't be crying," Maka sniffled, forcing herself to wipe her tears away, "my-my story isn't even that bad . . . you guys have got it worse than me."

Patty held Maka by the shoulders, and stared at her straight in the eye. "Don't say that. Friends are friends. We're all here for a while, too. So while we're all together, we should make the most of it."

Black Star smiled. "Yeah! Once we get out of here, it's home free!"

"B-but I'll be here for a minumum of five years. That's a long time, are you sure-"

"Positive," Soul cut in. "I'll be here for at least seven," a smirk, "you're going to have to wait for me."

"And I'm staying as long as Soul's staying, so don't worry about awesome me!" Black Star cheered.

"I'll be free to go in 2016," Tsubaki explained, "but I'll more than happily stay an extra year."

"As long as Patty's here, I'm here," Liz offered.

"And I don't even know how long I'm staying~!" Patty joked.

Everyone laughed, even Maka. She yelped a bit out of happiness. Perhaps her father was wrong. Life here might not be _too _bad. She had friends. Weird, crazy, eccentric friends, but friends nonetheless.

"So . . ." Black Star broke the awkward silence, "Maka, are you going to finish those potatoes?"

"MAKA CHOP!" she threw a book at him, and he remained stunned on the floor, "I _love _potatoes. Don't ever ask that again."

More laughter. It was a happy lunch period, for such a gloomy day.

* * *

"Stein gave me this," Tsubaki held out a paper, "it's your dorm room and combination," she explained.

The group had finished lunch, and were heading towards the patient rooms, or as Soul joked, their "dorms."

The brunette was slightly confused at this notion. "Combination? We have gym lockers or something?"

Soul laughed. "I wish. No, it's the combination to your room."

"Our rooms have combinations? Why?"

"Because it's a freaking asylum," Soul huffed, "they don't trust us with regular old keys and locks."

"I don't know why!" Black Star exclaimed, "I can surpass the gods! They should trust me for anything!"

"Please, we can't even trust you with a hot glue gun without getting yourself half-glued to death!" Liz joked.

Maka giggled.

"What's your dorm number? I want to see if we're on the same floor~" Patty sang.

She inspected the paper. "812."

Patty snapped her fingers. "Damn! Me and Liz are 360," she explained.

"I'm with Black Star, we have 011." Soul consolated.

"And me and my roommate, Eruka, have 596," Tsubaki said.

"I hope my roommate isn't someone too weird . . ." Maka said.

"It's an asylum. Maka, hate to break it to you, but we're practically the most normal people out of the 'normal' guests. The rest are Kishins," Soul said.

"Kishins are gross," Patty whined, "and they smell. I should know, I got in trouble so Stein made me pass out food for the Kishin. One of them practically ate my hand!" she exclaimed.

"Speaking of Kishin," Maka muttered, "is there anyone I should watch out for? Kishin or regular patient?"

Tsubaki thought. "Hmm, well . . ."

"There's Arachne," Liz stated, "she's a Kishin. Although she may not look like it, because she's so calm. But I wouldn't trust her. Rumor was, one of the guards who was supposed to be watching her got tricked and Arachne _ate _him." Liz shuddered.

"Ew, that's gross . . ."

"Tell me about it," Liz sighed.

"Well how about non-Kishin?" Maka asked.

Black Star didn't hestitate. "Death the Kid."

Everyone else nodded. "Yeah, he's freaky."

Maka, however, was intrigued. "Death the Kid?"

"That's not his real name, but no one knows his real name," Soul explained, "he's not a Kishin, although he damn well should be."

"Why's that?"

"His father was the head of a huge gang and terrorist Mafia group, the Shinigamis. And they called him Death itself, and his subordinates would call him 'Lord Death'," Tsubaki lectured, "Death the Kid is his son. Now being raised by someone as bad as Lord Death, that doesn't make Kid the best seed in the garden. Rumor has it that he's wanted in 45 out of 50 United States, half of Europe, a quarter of Asia, and all of the Baltic Sea."

Maka's green eyes widened. "Wow, what'd he do?"

"The question is what _didn't _he do." Liz said blatantly, "he's killed, stole, gone insane, done bad things. I heard that he would wipe out whole towns with his speed and strength."

"And you sure he's not a Kishin?"

"Positive," Black Star said, "it's so weird. He's so sickingly sweet and nice, you wouldn't think he belonged here. But I wouldn't trust him if I were you."

"What does he look like?"

Patty laughed. "like a crackhead! Nah, seriously though. He has these weird eyes. I'm not joking, they're like an evil yellow goldish color. And his hair is black, except for these three weird white lines on the left side. He says they're natural, but anyone can guess it's hair dye," Patty waved her hand offly.

"He's not hard to miss," Soul said, "you'll know him when you see him."

Before Maka could talk again, the same bell that sounded lunch rang.

"What's that bell for?"

"That means that we have to go to our dorms for attendance before they let us go to our classes," Tsubaki said.

"Means we split up for now." Soul opened the door to the Dorms Building, and Maka's eyes widened. It had to be the second biggest cylinder building, next to the Kishin Cells. The floors were like the ones on the cafeteria, you could see through them. But you couldn't see through the actually dorms theirselves.

"How many floors are there?" Maka asked.

"20," Liz answered, "Usually the young people are on the first ten, and the older people are on the other ten."

"Is there an elevator or something? Because I have to get to the eighth floor," the pigtail-ed girl worried.

"No, just a crap load of stairs!" Patty giggled.

"Good luck, you guys!" Soul called out, "Me and Black Star are on the first floor. See you in class, maybe."

"Bye!" they waved as the two males walked away.

* * *

Minutes seemed to pass as the four girls escalated the stairs. Since they were on lower floors than Maka, once Tsubaki left, Maka was walking upstairs alone. Not alone as in no one was there, but alone as in her friends were gone. Suddenly, the cold and harsh front she put on for Stein came back. Being careful to avoid contact with other people, she moved swiftly to get to her room.

"I wonder who my roommate is," she thought. "Hopefully it's someone I can handle," and her feet landed on the last step. Here she was, floor 8. Gulping, she walked around the cylindrical rail. At first look, since the building was circular, one wouldn't think that each floor had 99 rooms. But they did.

"801, 802 . . ." Maka kept walking, and inspected the doors.

They were steel, and evidentally bullet proof. There wasn't a handle or anything, just a locker knob. And she glanced at her combination. 14-35-08. Over and over, she replayed that combination in her head so she could eventually memorize it.

"Here we are. 812," the girl thought to herself. Carefully, she put her fingers over the locker knob, and turned it accordingly. She thought she had it, but apparently she didn't. There was no clicking or any indication that she had the right combination.

"Come on," she murmured, trying a second time. No luck. What was she doing wrong? Surely she knew how to open a locker-styled door.

"Need help?" a new voice asked. Before Maka could even see who it was, she saw a hand, slender and pale, wrap around her hand, moving the knob for her. Maka didn't dare look to her side ; she knew she would lock eyes with this stranger.

_Click! _the door slid open, like a safe. She blinked in amazement.

"How did you-"

"It's hard the first time, but you'll get the hang of it. And if you're asking how I knew your combination it's because I'm friends with the other person inside of here," the stranger explained.

Maka finally took the time and saw who this nice person was that helped her.

But she gasped a little. Golden eyes. White stripes.

It was Death the Kid.


	4. Asymmetry

**Disclaimer: I do not own Soul Eater.**

**Pairings: Kid x Maka, Soul x Liz, Crona x Patty, Black Star x Tsubaki**

**Rated: T. Duh.**

**Warnings: AU and OOC. Random crap is randomly crappy.**

**Reminders (pertaining to the story content): **

**-"Kishin" are the really really really really really insane people in cells.**

**Room Numbers  
**

_***Note: The first number represents what floor they live on***_

_**Maka and ? ? ? (roommate to be revealed this chapter): 812**_

_**Soul and Black Star: 012 (meaning the first floor :'D)**_

_**Patty and Liz: 360**_

_**Tsubaki and Eruka: 597**_

**Notes: Jokes. Some Soul Eater Jokes ; er, they're jokes to me. **

* * *

Her heart was racing. Death the Kid, standing right in front of her. The very person that her friends had told her to watch out for, because he was dangerous. Fate had an odd way of playing with Maka.

_He has to be Death the Kid. The description the others gave me is accurate, _Maka thought, _but he helped me open my room. And he's smiling. Is he really . . .?_

"Thank you," Maka muttered, not forgetting common courtesy, "I'm Maka Albarn," _Stupid! Why did you tell him that? _She mentally scolded herself.

He smiled. "I'm Death the Kid. But you can just call me Kid, if you'd like," he shrugged, "and I know you're new."

"Well, I suppose the fact that I couldn't open my own dorm gave it away," Maka laughed nervously.

"That, and the fact that the other person in here hasn't had a roommate," a slightly indication of a smile was there, "until now."

"Yes, I guess so," Maka stuttered. Stuttering? Why?

"Um, so what room are you on?"

"888," Kid replied, "I requested it."

"And that Stein-freak actually let you?"

Kid scoffed. "Yeah, I was surprised as well."

"But why?"

"Why?"

"Why would you want that specific room?"

"Because, 8 is my favorite number, for reasons that it cuts symmetrically vertically and horizontally," he pointed out, "and speaking of symmetry, your hair placement is asymmetrical," he gently put a stray strand of Maka's hair behind her ear. The girl fought the urge to blush.

"Thanks," she muttered.

"No problem. It's just, asymmetry bothers me."

Maka raised an eyebrow. "Really? But your hair is asymmetrical, you have those three white stripes on one side, and not on the other-"

Immediately, Maka regretted saying anything on that subject. Kid immediately fell to the floor. "YOU'RE RIGHT! I'M GARBAGE, ASYMMETRICAL GARBAGE! I DESERVE TO BE A KISHIN, TO DIE, TO-"

"Hey, hey, I was joking! Please calm down!" Maka knelt beside Kid, who was sobbing into his sleeves . . . symmetrically, of course.

"I swhwoudn't bw woud to wive . . .." Kid said, his voice muffled.

"I can't understand what you're saying," the brunette's sweat dropped.

"I shead I showdunlt' bw woud to wive . . ." Kid wasn't any more clearer.

"Gibberish," Maka said, and sighed, "I'm sorry, that was out of place for me to say. Please get up," she nudged him, but he refused to move.

"No," he whined.

_Why do I have to deal with this guy? I shouldn't even be here, the door's open, I should walk in. But . . . he looks so helpless all alone out here!_

_Why do you care? He's Death the Kid ; your friends said he was dangerous, so you shouldn't even care about him._

Maka's heart and her conscience were fighting each other again. And they both had valid fighting points.

"Kid . . ." she muttered, "Please, you're not garbage. You're anything but," she indirectly, in a way, called him cute, "I mean, if you don't get up, I'll make my hair asymmetrical again."

"OH GOD NO!" he sprung back up to life.

Maka laughed. "See? You're all better now~"

Kid sighed, putting his hands in his blazer pockets. "I suppose so. I- sorry for acting the way I did,"

"Well this is an asylum," Maka pointed out, "I wouldn't think that anyone who is in here wouldn't have a few things off about them. But you seem nice. Surely your OCD isn't the reason you're here."

"Ok, firstly, I do _not _have OCD," he protested rather irritably, "and secondly, you're right. That's not why I'm here," a glint appeared in his eyes, "the reason why I am here, though, I suppose I can tell you one of these days."

The brunette raised an eyebrow. " ' One of these days? ' Are you implying that you're going to talk to me regularly from now on?"

"Perhaps," he said coolly, "but for now, I am implying that you should get into your dorm. I can hear the attendance monitors ; they're just a floor or two below us."

Maka gulped. Getting caught late for roll call is something she didn't want to happen. Along with trying to live through her days, she planned to follow Stein's advice and not screw up. "Right. Sorry," and she went inside her room. She swore that she saw Kid smile before he left, however.

* * *

The room was a little bland. White walls, white floors, white bed sheets, white bed frames, everything was white. It reminded Maka of a hospital, and she wasn't the biggest fan of hospitals.

Glancing to the right, she saw that a door, possibly a bathroom door, was locked. Was her roommate in there? Shrugging, she went to the dresser drawers. Half of them were filled with black clothing. The others were empty. Maka was so absorbed with her new friends and everything that she just noticed she had her luggage in hand. The asylum wasn't providing clothes, she had been told.

"Even if they were, I doubt they'd be sightly clothes," she murmured. Unpacking everything, she set her familiar clothes into strange drawers. For some reason, the colors on the fabrics seem faded.

"And I could only bring one book, _one." _the brunette rubbed her temples in annoyance. "I brought War and Peace. A classic, and a good weapon for a 'Maka Chop'."

_Kachunk! _She heard the bathroom door open. Looking back, she saw a figure, wearing generic, black clothing.

"Hi-"

"AHHH!" the other person screamed, and ducked behind one of the beds.

"Um, are you ok-"

"who are you?" Maka's apparent roommate questioned, "Please don't hurt me,"

"I'm not going to hurt you. I'm your roommate," the brunette was confident in her words, "I'm Maka." she said plainly.

"O-oh. You must be new then . . . I- it's just, I- n-never had a roommate before," both of the roommates had a sweat drop.

"Well you can come out now. What's your name?"

Sighing, the other figure stood up, and Maka had time to analyze this person.

Black clothing that could simply be forgotten. An odd, almost melodramatic stance, and this person was holding one of their arms with the other arm. Eyes that were a periwinkle, possible blue, were wide. The most distinguishing feature of this person was their hair. Pinkish hair that fell in odd strands.

"I'm Crona."


End file.
